Skip to main content
Angela's Shadow film image; woman standing in front of a tree

Angela's Shadow

Panorama

This event has passed

World Premiere

Angela (Sera-Lys McArthur) and Henry (Matthew Kevin Anderson), a young Ottawa couple with a baby on the way, embark on a short trip north to the Cree community of KiiWeeTin to visit Angela’s beloved childhood nanny, Mary (Renae Morriseau). When Angela is harassed by a menacing shadow figure, Mary moves to bless and protect Angela and her unborn child with illegal Cree ceremonies and medicine. And as Angela discovers the truth about both her ancestry and the spectral figure’s identity, she must delve into her newfound spiritual traditions in order to defend herself from her husband’s escalating purity-obsessed racism.

Balancing darkness and light to dramatic effect, Jules Arita Koostachin (WaaPaKe) crafts a ghost story rich in narrative traditions, period details, and uncanny allure.

 

Oct 2: Q&A with director Jules Koostachin and actors Asivak Koostachin, Rita Koostachin & Renae Morriseau

Oct 5: Q&A with director Jules Koostachin and actors Asivak Koostachin & Rita Koostachin

 

Community Partner

     

Director
Cast

Sera-Lys McArthur, Matthew Kevin Anderson, Renae Morriseau, Asivak Koostachin, Mahiigan Koostachin, David H. Lyle

Credits
Country of Origin

Canada

Year

2024

Language

English

18+
93 min
BC Spotlight Drama Indigenous Cinema Q&As at VIFF Women Directors
ChaKaSteTin Productions Inc.

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Patti Poskitt

Producer

Jules Arita Koostachin

Screenwriter

Jules Arita Koostachin, Steve Neufeld

Cinematography

Mike Bourquin

Editor

Lara Mazur

Production Design

Cheryl Marion

Original Music

Justin Delorme

Jules Arita Koostachin headshot; Angela's Shadow director

Jules Arita Koostachin

Born in Moose Factory, Ontario, Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin was raised by her Cree-speaking grandparents in Moosonee and her mother in Ottawa. Jules is a member of the Attawapiskat First Nation, the Ancestral lands of the MoshKeKo AsKi InNiNeWak. She earned a PhD in Indigenous documentary methodologies from UBC and a master’s in documentary media from TMU. Jules’ acclaimed works include Remembering Inninimowin (2010), Broken Angel (2023), and WaaPaKe (2023). Through VisJuelles Productions, she’s developing projects like KaTaWaSiSin and Truth in Toronto.

Filmography: Remembering Inninimowin (2010); Broken Angel (2023); WaaPaKe (2023)

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

Best Boy

Dir. Jesse Noah Klein
91 min

Sibling rivalry is the name of the game in Jesse Noah Klein's pitch black comedy. Eli, Lawrence and Phillip (who's a woman) reunite after the passing of their father and, in accordance with his last wishes, compete for the prized title of "Best Boy".

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Greaser's Palace

Dir. Robert Downey Sr.
91 min

Co-editor of Truth & Soul: A Robert Downey Sr Reader, Kier-La Janisse, introduces this satirical and irreligious acid western, halfway between El Topo and Blazing Saddles from Iron Man's dad.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

The End of the Internet + Installation & Talk

Dir. Dylan Reibling
107 min

Forget the cloud. "The net" is a far more accurate metaphor for the www. Filmmaker Dylan Reibling meets the hacktavists around the world fighting for the independent flow of information free from censorship and exploitation.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Lucid

Dir. Deanna Milligan & Ramsey Fendall
114 min

Art student Mia is struggling with a make-or-break assignment, a self-portrait. It's only when grandma lets slip that her mom used to hypnotize her as a child to blank out the bad bits that she realizes the severity of the challenge...

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Two Pianos

Dir. Arnaud Desplechin
115 min

Once promising concert pianist Mathias (François Civil) returns to his native Lyon after a long absence. He's here to pay homage to his mentor, Elena (Charlotte Rampling). But a chance encounter with an old flame sends him spiraling.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

The Richest Woman in the World

Dir. Thierry Klifa
123 min

Isabelle Huppert plays cosmetics CEO Marianne in this teasingly ambivalent satire inspired by the Bettancourt Affair, when L'Oreal heir Francoise Bettancourt scandalized France by frittering away her fortune on a notorious celebrity photographer.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre